The White House is calling on businesses and higher education institutions to invest in their communities and eliminate unnecessary hiring barriers for individuals with criminal records.
The White House is building on past efforts by challenging businesses to take on the “Fair Chance Business Pledge,” a nationwide call-to-action to accomplish the shared goal of creating a stronger set of opportunities for people who have been impacted by the criminal justice system:
“Around 70 million Americans have some sort of criminal record … Now, a lot of time, that record disqualifies you from being a full participant in our society — even if you’ve already paid your debt to society. It means millions of Americans have difficulty even getting their foot in the door to try to get a job much less actually hang on to that job. That’s bad for not only those individuals, it’s bad for our economy. It’s bad for the communities that desperately need more role models who are gainfully employed. So we’ve got to make sure Americans who’ve paid their debt to society can earn their second chance.” – President Obama, November 2, 2015
The Pledge
We applaud the growing number of public and private sector organizations nationwide who are taking action to ensure that all Americans have the opportunity to succeed, including individuals who have had contact with the criminal justice system. When almost 70 million Americans — nearly one in three adults — have a criminal record, it is important to remove unnecessary barriers that may prevent these individuals from gaining access to employment, training, education and other basic tools required for success in life. We are committed to providing individuals with criminal records, including formerly incarcerated individuals, a fair chance to participate in the American economy.
Over 100 Organizations Have Joined the Pledge
Large Employers
- American Airlines
- Best Buy
- Busboys and Poets
- Coca-Cola
- Georgia-Pacific
- Greystone Bakeries
- Hersheys
- Johns Hopkins Medical Center
- Kellogg Company
- Kevin Plank Industries
- Koch Industries
- Lyft
- Microsoft
- Oklahoma City Thunder
- PepsiCo.
- Prudential
- Staples
- Starbucks
- The Libra Group
- TrueBlue
- Uber
- UnderArmour
- Unilever
- VICE Media
- Xerox
National Organizations
- ACLU
- American Sustainable Business Council
- Catholic USA
- NAACP
- Small Business Majority
Small/Medium-Sized Businesses
- 21st Century Telecommunications, Inc.
- African-American Chamber of Commerce of NJ, DE and PA
- Allegra Marketing & Print
- Anti-Recidivism Coalition
- Approved Storage and Waste Handling, Inc.
- Bailey Insurance Services LLC
- Beatrice Ewing Park Service Station
- Brockman Tree and Lawn Care LLC
- Building Entrepreneurs for Success in Tennessee (BEST)
- Capozzi flooring
- CarryHOT, Inc.
- City Sandwich NYC
- Contemporary Family Services Inc
- Crescent River Consulting
- cut50.org
- Dave’s Killer Bread
- Dave’s Killer Bread Foundation
- Decisive Media Inc
- Deep Still Water Institute
- Dixon’s Developments, LLC
- Element 9
- Epic Pest Control & Landscape Services, Inc.
- Fair Shake
- FirmGreen, Inc.
- Flux Resources, LLC
- Fried Green Fryer Team
- Future Executives Inc
- Garden of Eden & Associates, Inc.
- Goodwill Industries of Arkansas
- Goodwill Industries of Central East Texas
- Goodwill Industries of Central Indiana, Inc.
- Goodwill Industries of the Inland Northwest
- Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky African American Chamber of Commerce
- Greater Philadelphia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
- Hamilton County Office of Reentry
- Hand in Hand Soap
- Hollywood Impact Studios
- I.Buss & Allan Uniform Company, Inc.
- Inflection.com
- Living Classrooms Foundation
- Lowers Risk Group
- M & V Provisions Co., Inc.
- Manufacturing Alliance of Philadelphia
- Maryland Department of Agriculture
- MDG Barber Inc.
- Multisorb Technologies
- Museum Cafe
- National Policy Alliance
- New England Blacks in Philanthropy
- NewLife-Second Chance Outreach, Inc.
- Nova Consulting Group, Inc.
- oGoing Inc.
- Patten Energy, Inc.
- Pennsylvania Mental Health Consumers’ Association
- Philly Shipyard, Inc.
- Pioneer Overhead Door
- Price Fresh Pak
- PRO-A
- Project Return
- Revolve Impact
- Runnels Foundation
- San Diego & Imperial Counties’ Roofers, Waterproofers Joint Apprenticeship Committee
- Shelter Care Ministries
- Solar Screen, Inc.
- Sustainable Construction Corporation
- Tech Dump Electronics Recycling
- The Actors’ Gang
- The Exigency Group
- The Greystone Group Inc.
- Together We Bake
- Total Wine & More
- Trade Off Construction Services
- Union Supply Group
- United Exchange Corporation
- Urban Ashes
- USA Built Corporation
- Verge Studios, LLC
- Veterans on the Rise, Inc.
- Virginia Correctional Enterprises
- Wash Cycle Laundry Inc.
- Westside Foods
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